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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26053066">Does Anything Really Matter</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/supremegreendragon/pseuds/supremegreendragon'>supremegreendragon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rick and Morty</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abandonment, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Amnesia, Angst, Arguing, Asshole Rick, End of the World, Favoritism, Feelings, Gen, Life saved by force, M/M, Morty's Mindblower, Philosophy, Psychological Drama, jumping dimensions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:20:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,714</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26053066</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/supremegreendragon/pseuds/supremegreendragon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever notice how when Rick jumps dimensions, he only brings his original Morty?</p><p>Morty decides he is through with being the favorite in Rick's life. He wants to die with the universe he doomed. No more jumping dimensions. If Rick wants to replace Morty, then so be it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rick Sanchez &amp; Morty Smith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>110</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Does Anything Really Matter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sky was as red as blood, a purple cloud swirling above their heads. It expanded across the entire globe, so that no matter where you were on Earth, you were in danger of facing a thousand years of lightning storms.</p><p> </p><p>It was like Judgment Day was upon them, except this wasn’t God’s doing this time around. It was Rick and Morty’s.</p><p> </p><p>From the garage, Morty trembled in fear. His family was still out there somewhere. What if they were already dead? He looked to where his grandpa was trying to come up with a plan. The puzzled look on the old man’s face wasn’t very reassuring.</p><p> </p><p>“F-fuck!” Rick said as he angrily threw the blueprints away from his desk. He took a swig of his drink.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t get drunk!” Morty cried, “You have to be sober so you can find a way to stop the storm.”</p><p> </p><p>“T-there is n-no way to stop it, M-Morty.”</p><p> </p><p>Rick said it with the slightest hint of defeat, but he sounded more annoyed than sad. His words, though voiced nonchalantly, made Morty’s face lose all of its color. If even Rick said it was impossible, then it must be true.</p><p> </p><p>But Morty’s boyish hopefulness wouldn’t let himself believe that. There just had to be a way. There had to be. He desperately looked all around the room, as if seeing some random object would trigger an idea inside his brain.</p><p> </p><p>“What if we fly up there and put an....an….I don’t know…..an anti-electricity device? Or we can fly in the opposite direction of the cloud and…maybe that will work somehow. Tell me that will do something. You’re the scientist!”</p><p> </p><p>Rick just shook his head at his grandson’s sad attempts to find a solution. With a sigh, he took out his portal gun and blasted it into the wall. The green portal shone brightly.</p><p> </p><p>“T-this world is done for, Morty. We have to…gotta leave it behind. I know a place where we can….can jump dimensions.”</p><p> </p><p>Morty felt so sick to his stomach that he started backing away. Rick turned back to give him a questioning look, as if he had no idea what was making Morty so upset. It was traumatizing enough to do this once already. Morty couldn’t---wouldn’t----do it again.</p><p> </p><p>“W-what’s the hold up, M-Morty? Hurry up before the lightning starts…”</p><p> </p><p>Morty stayed where he was. His fear-stricken face strengthened with resolve. He thought about his family, who wasn’t really his family since he didn’t originally belong to this universe anyway. There were so many versions like them. Rick could surely find them a home where their alternate versions die, and then they could take their place. It would all be like none of this ever happened. Just like before.</p><p> </p><p>Morty had told Summer before, none of it really matters. So why was Morty hesitating now?</p><p> </p><p>“Morty! Get over here,” Rick was losing his patience.</p><p> </p><p>It was all pointless. So, what did it matter what Morty decided to do?</p><p> </p><p>“Go on without me.”</p><p> </p><p>Rick arched an eyebrow. He was probably expecting a big speech from his grandson on the morals of right and wrong. And why this universe was somehow more important than the other ones. And why running away was bad.</p><p> </p><p>But Morty would skip all that. He knew Rick was in the right. He knew none of it mattered, and that this universe was doomed, and that he should just leave and not think about it ever again.</p><p> </p><p>Besides, why bother with lip service that wouldn’t affect Rick anyway?</p><p> </p><p>“No, really. Go on without me. I….I think I’m going to stay here.”</p><p> </p><p>That was all Morty was going to say. Rick was shocked that Morty didn’t try to give him a heartbreaking speech on the importance of family. Rick looked at the portal, and then back at Morty.</p><p> </p><p>“You know you’ll die,” Rick pointed out. He wasn’t stammering so much anymore. Morty’s words must’ve sobered him up some. He sounded bored with this conversation, while his face remained impassive. Before, Morty would’ve thought it was an act to look cool. Now he felt sure that Rick actually didn’t care about him in the long run. Why should he? There were literally billions of Mortys he could have.</p><p> </p><p>“I know, Rick.”</p><p> </p><p>An intense flash of light lit up the room for a second. The lightning had begun. When it struck, Morty could see every shadow etched within the crevice of Rick’s frown lines.</p><p> </p><p>“Fuck this,” Rick murmured, before going through the portal himself. Morty watched as the green portal disappeared. Morty just stood there, trying to assess what he was feeling right now.</p><p> </p><p>He supposed he should be sad. But in all honesty, Morty was relieved. He was relieved to know that he was disposable. Everyone was. In a way, knowing that was liberating. It meant that Morty didn’t have to leave with any unnecessary guilt if he didn’t want to. He didn’t have to worry about death either. He might die, but there will be so many other versions of him to live on.</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t have to feel guilty. He never did. Morty turned his attention on the spaceship, thinking he would use it to find the family that he lost in the eternal storm.</p><p> </p><p>But to his shock, a portal materialized right by his side. Only Rick’s hand went through, grabbing Morty’s arm like a viper sinking its teeth into its prey. Morty cried out in shock. Although he struggled in its grip, Morty could do nothing as the hand pulled him forcibly inside the portal.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The next thing Morty knew, the sky looked normal. People were outside mowing lawns, chatting, laughing---none were aware of what was currently going on in another universe.</p><p> </p><p>Morty looked up at Rick who still had his hand on his arm. Instead of looking disinterested, Rick was glaring at him. In retaliation, Morty glared back.</p><p> </p><p>“What the hell? I told you I didn’t want to go with you!”</p><p> </p><p>“You. Were going. To die!” Rick yelled in his ear.</p><p> </p><p>Morty couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “But why does that even matter, Rick? Mom and Dad and Summer are still back there. They’re going to die now.”</p><p> </p><p>“We didn’t have time to find all of them. And I didn’t have time to find a universe where the whole family gets killed,” Rick said bitterly.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not more important than them, Rick! If you can replace them so easily, you can replace me too!”</p><p> </p><p>“Is that what you think? You think you’re important to me?” Rick scoffed. His eyes rolled to the back of his head.</p><p> </p><p>Morty wasn’t buying the cool act this time, “Well, I didn’t at first. Until you dragged me here for no reason.”</p><p> </p><p>“Here’s a reason for you, you little shit! There may be billions of you, but there are also billions of me. And like me, the other Ricks don’t like sharing. So Mortys aren’t exactly <em>that </em>easy to replace. You wanna hear me say it? Fine. I don’t care about you. But you are a shield that I will continue to use until you’re no longer valuable.”</p><p> </p><p>After his outburst, a deafening silence enveloped them both. They stared each other down, each determined not to feel hurt by the other’s words.</p><p> </p><p>Morty knew it all along. So why did Rick’s words still sting? He refused to cry in front of his bastard of a grandfather, so he looked at the floor when tears threatened to fall. From above him he heard Rick groan, sounding more distress than Morty ever heard.</p><p> </p><p>Rick took the mindblowers gun and aimed it at his grandson’s temple. Morty didn’t even try to fight him on this. What was the point?</p><p> </p><p>Rick hesitated, “Before I fix your traumatize little brain, mind answering something for me, Morty?”</p><p> </p><p>Morty stared at his grandpa, then at the gun that would give him the pleasure of forgetting. The tears wouldn’t fall, as if they were stuck inside his eyelids. Maybe Morty was too numb to cry?</p><p> </p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“You were…you were really going to let yourself die back there. Weren’t you? No joke?”</p><p> </p><p>Morty opened his mouth to ask why it mattered. But then he closed it. It would be a waste of time to ask anyway.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, Rick. I may not be expendable to you, but in my opinion, I’m just as expendable as anyone else.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Rick threw up for the third time that morning. Afterwards, he drunk from his flask to mask the terrible vomit taste from his mouth. Morty entered the room with a worried look on his face. He may have seen Rick completely wasted before, but never to this extent.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t you think you had enough, Rick?”</p><p> </p><p>“M-m-Morty!” Rick grinned from ear to ear. He pulled Morty in for a hug, knowing that Morty didn’t hate him because <em>he didn’t remember what he said. Victory for Rick as always!</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>“Rick, let me get you to bed,” with that, Morty guided the adult across the room, carrying his stumbling weight with relative ease.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re a…r-r-real g-good kid, Morty. The best in the w-world. I love you s-s-s-ooooo much.”</p><p> </p><p>“Rick, you’re drunk.”</p><p> </p><p>“You k-know i-it, right? You know I love you?” Rick grabbed onto Morty and forced his grandson to look him in the eye. He needed to hear it from Morty’s lips or else he wouldn’t be able to sleep off this massive hangover.</p><p> </p><p>Morty suddenly looked nervous, “Of course I know, Rick. I love you too. Now please….get to bed….”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t ever die on me…on me Morty. I love you. No matter what I say or how I act….I….you…love…I do, Morty. I promise I do. You gotta believe me….”</p><p> </p><p>“I do, Rick! Aww jeeze, I do! Now go to sleep.”</p><p> </p><p>“No matter what I say, Morty. No matter what I say….”</p><p> </p><p>“Go to bed, Rick,” Morty managed to get the old man to bed. Rick’s head was swimming with uncertainty, anguish and pain. He needed another drink.</p><p> </p><p>“I love you……Gotta believe that,” Rick didn’t even know who he was talking to at this point. As he lied down, he considered using the mindblower gun on his own temple. Alcohol just wasn’t doing enough.</p>
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